Method of producing the binary alloy of titanium and aluminum.



UN ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTE J. ROSSI, OF NIAGARA FALLS,

ALLOY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, MAINE.

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TITANIUM OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0]? METHOD OF PRODUCING THE BINARY ALLOY 0F TITANIUM AND ALUMINUM.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUoUs'rn J. RossI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Producing the Binary Alloy of Titanium and Aluminum, of which the following is a specification. I

Several methods have heretofore been disclosed for production'of said alloy, but these have, so far as I am aware, involved the use and cooperation in thebath of various com-- pounds or agents heretofore deemed indispensable, such as fluorids, chlorids, cryolite, or oxids other than those of aluminum or titanium, also, in most cases, preliminary special treatments of these or other constituents employed, such as reduction to powdered state, intimate mixture thereof with oxid of titanium, etc. i r The object of my present invention is to produce said alloy by a method less compli- I cated, more easily and economically worked, and more certain and safe in its action, and capable of producing said alloy in as large quantities as desired and more rapidly, and of purer and better quality than heretofore. I attain this object by my present improved method as follows :I have discovered that said alloy can be best, and in best form, produced by dispensing with the other agents and compounds heretofore relied on, and on the contrary by bringing together only molten aluminum and titanlum oxid. I accordingly produce, to begin with, a bath of molten aluminum to which I add, in preferably graduated amounts if a high titanium content is desired, titanium oxid only, or preferably titanium oxid together with unmolten aluminum in moderate sub-division such as shots or the like. The titanium oxid thus brought alone in moderate quantities directly into presence of a bath of molten aluminum considerably greater in volume than the amount of oxid at the time introduced, is immediately reacted upon by said aluminum without prohibitory disturbance or ebullition, .the oxygen liberated combining with the aluminum to form alumina which risesto the surface as slag, leaving the released metallic titanium to dissolve in and alloy with the remaining aluminum. The additions of titanium oxid are repeat- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

Application filed April 25, 1911. Serial No. 623,215.

ed from time to time until the desired content of titanium is imparted, and the addition of more aluminum in solid form with each successive char e of oxidtends to prevent development of unduly high temperatures as well as enables the aluminum content of the alloy produced to be regulated as required. It is not absolutely necessary that the total oxid should be introduced in successive divided charges, though this is always preferable and particularly so when high titanium contents are desired. The amount of oxid to be introduced in any one time, or charge, is dependent on the bulk of the aluminum bath, 2'. e. the larger the bath the greater the amount of oxid, also on numerous other special conditions present in each particular case. The skilled metallurgical workman will readily determine in each case the degree of sub-division of the total oxidbest adapted to suit its special requlrements.

It is important that the temperature of the bath be maintained throughout the entire operation as high as the point at which aluminum begins to reduce titanium oxid.

It is well understood that on the setting up of such reduction very high exothermal temperatures are immediately developed, but these are often as quickly reduced, on cessation of the reaction, to points below that at which the reaction can be resumed, as between constituents not yet affected. I therefore supply means for imparting to the bath, from sources thereto extraneous, not only initially the temperature required to set up the desired reaction, but also to renew, and maintain, the same from time to time until all constituents capable of chemically reacting and re-combining have done so, thus also maintaining, at all times throughout its formation, the molten character of the alloy. To this end any convenient form of furnace capable of imparting the required temperatures may be employed as container of the bath, but I prefer any so-called electric furnace for example a furnace of the type shown and described in V myU. S. Letters Patent No. 822,305, dated June 5, 1906, the advantage ofan electrical furnace in this connection being its comparatively instantaneous and accurate control of temperature, whereby on merely turning on the current the required temperature may be quickly imparted to the bath'before any important solidification of the alloy already produced, and on the other hand heat economized by turning off the current during those intervals in which sufiiciently high temperatures are being supplied eXothermally-by-the reactions taking place in the bath.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following, viz

1. The method of producing the binary alloy of aluminum and titanium which consists in preliminarily producing a bath of molten aluminum, next adding thereto oxid of titanium proportioned to impart to the resulting alloy the desired content of titanium, and meanwhile raising and maiiitaining the temperature of the bath to at least the point at which the aluminum reduces the 20 taining the temperature of the bathto at least the point at which the aluminum reduces the titanium oxid until all of said oxid has been reduced.

3. The method of producing the binary alloy of aluminum and titanium which consists in preliminarily producing a bath of molten aluminum, next adding thereto solid aluminum and oxid of titanium proportioned to impart to the resulting alloy the desired content of titanium, and meanwhile raising and maintaining the temperature of the bath to at least the point at which the aluminum reduces the titanium oxid until all of said oxid has been reduced.

4:. The method of producingv the binary alloy of aluminum and titanium which consists in preliminarily producing a bath of molten aluminum, next adding thereto solid aluminum and oxid of titanium in successive charges until the requisite content of titanium has been imparted, and meanwhile raising and maintaining the temperature of the bath to at least the point at which the aluminum reduces the titanium'oxid until all of said oxid has been reduced.

. AUGUSTE J. ROSSI.

Witnesses:

WALTER D. EoMoNos,

G. G. MEASURES. 

